1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inspection and review of substrates, such as, for example, semiconductor wafers and reticles.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a conventional charged-particle beam instrument, such as an electron beam (e-beam) inspection instrument, a manufactured substrate (such as a silicon wafer or a reticle) is scanned with a focused beam of electrons which results in the emission of secondary electrons from the substrate surface. The emitted electrons are detected, and the detection data is typically converted into images of the surface of the specimen. These images are then analyzed numerically to detect abnormalities (referred to as defects) in the manufactured substrate.